Matthew Richard Barnes

Born 1978 Beaverton, OR

1979-1981: Carbondale, IL

1982: St. Louis, MO

1983-85: Tuscon, AZ

1986-1992: Wichita, KS

1992-Present: Columbus, OH

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2003: BFA - The Ohio State University

2005-2006: SHOWColumbus (Arts event and marketing organization) - founder

2009-2016: Tweetandgoseek (a branded social media/real world scavenger hunt) - founder

2012-2015: Civitas Experiential Marketing (Creative OOH) - co-founder

2017-Present: Captain at Leisure Club

At my root, I am a visual artist. I create things with my eyes and hands for others to see and experience. For over two decades, alongside a vibrant creative career, I have quietly dedicated myself to an expansive body of work, exploring a wide range of mediums including drawing, photography, collage, assemblage, poetry, and painting.

Raised in the Midwest, my work both carries the imprints of my upbringing and an observational response to American culture. With a knowledge of historical art figures and philosophies my work, expressed through various mediums, is a unique reflection of the criteria I have intentionally consumed and unintentionally absorbed.

Inspired by the art movements of Dada, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Post Modernism alongside modern iconic figures such as John Baldessari, George Condo, and William Eggleston, my art embodies a rich dialogue between self expression, social commentary, and a conversation with the canon of art history. The vast catalog—spanning thousands of works—reflects an insatiable drive to create, a need to communicate ideas through a visual experience, and a desire to contribute to the canon of fine art.